An “Irish goodbye”, is an expression used today by Americans and Englanders. It comes from the English referring to a “French leave.” The French refer to it as “leave as the English.” Germany has “to make a Polish exit”.[i] This practice seems to be along the lines of American Indian tribes referring to themselves in preeminent terms and “others” with derogatory ones. I’m guess that our “excuse my French” as a way to “apologize” for vulgar or profane language is something else in France. Continue reading
Devil’s Night
When I had a parish in in the City of Detroit in the late 80s, Devil’s Night was a feared Halloween Eve tradition. Pranks, vandalism, and crimes were up as youth ran wild. That’s how it was billed and the news story reported it. We lived in the city, and frankly we didn’t see this, but the concept is catching on thanks again to our friend psychology. Continue reading
Posted in Families, For Anyone who dares
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Just a Tool, Two
In my never ending quest, perhaps Quixotic, to expose the seedy underbelly of all things techie, I offer “Just a Tool, Two” or “2.0” for you Big Tech enthusiasts.
The scene in the 1980’s movie is this: the hero has tracked the irascible killer to a remote area in Los Angeles where he is burying his final victim whom he thinks dead but is not. The place is too remote for a scream for help to be effective.
This scene is not believable and would be not written, directed, acted, or sold today. The ubiquity of the smartphone, or even just a flip phone, means no one would write this scene or even think it. Think how far back not just in writing but in thinking the story would be different. Continue reading
Posted in Big Tech Big Lie or Promise?
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Give Me the spirit of heaviness rather than disease of depression
Every year at this season, the “news” goes between how more depressing this time of year is to how it’s really a myth that this time of year is more depressing than others. I think what is most certainly depressing is that when everyone, including Christians, hear depression we think therapy or more likely medicine, we don’t think Word and Sacrament let alone the pastoral office. Continue reading
Forensic Justification is Objective Justification
The single greatest threat to Confessional Lutheranism is the denial of Objective Justification (OJ). It is a denial of the Gospel. That’s what Dean Saleska said in a 1981 meeting of the faculty of Concordia Theological Seminary at Fort Wayne. He said it to Dr. Preus, president of CTS, over against the question of disciplining Dr. Walter A. Maier II’s denial of Objective Justification. (I overheard this heated discussion while on security duty on the campus late one night.) While much has been and can be written on this subject, below is another effort at defending the concept of OJ. It’s not the whole story of justification. You can see this blog (https://www.pastorharris.com/
Posted in For Pastors Only, Missouri Megatrends
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Sanctity of Life Sunday
Before I retired, I moved the celebration of The Holy Innocents to Sanctity of Life Sunday. If you look at the history of the celebration on December 28, it was originally celebrated after St. Stephen and St. John, to tamp down the over celebrating that accompanied Christmas. As much as I am loath to tinker with the historic Church Year, I think moving it from December 28 to around January 22 is not only apropos but called for. Our society has devolved, deturpated, decayed, to the point where it is open-season on the most helpless. Continue reading
Posted in For Anyone who dares, For Pastors Only
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Even Pagans and Zombies Get It
I’m watching a bit more TV and movies, and falling asleep a lot more to documentaries and reality shows now that I’ve retired. Who knew there were whole shows devoted to lumberjacks, pawnbrokers, car customizers, and swamp people? Not to mention to hoarders, garage sale enthusiasts, and pickers. Should there be? Bread and circuses have been popular fare and anesthesia for some time now. This being said, popular entertainment demonstrates a better (higher?) understanding of baby-killing than many if not most churches. Continue reading
Posted in Families, For Anyone who dares, General
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Social Media – The Unrest of the Younger Generation
In a 1936 essay entitled “The Literary Twenties – The Younger Generation” a New York literary critic, Carl Van Doren, looks back at the generation of the 1920’s which he was on the cusp of. Among his pearls of wisdom is that no generation can really understand the one behind it or in front of it. Here’s how he illustrates that view: “I loved danger, says the father, and it hurt me. The sons says, I love danger.” Another pearl is that there is always a “Younger Generation”. Continue reading
Giving away the Farm – Part II
In the February 22, 2024 post, I promised this. There I posted the 1993 essay mailed to me at that time, and probably most conservative Lutherans. The booklet was titled “A second opinion after ‘The Church and Human Sexuality” (The ELCA’s ‘study’ on sexuality). The actual essay inside was titled The Bible and Sexual Boundaries. It was by Professor Craig R. Koester of Luther Seminary, St. Paul. Did you see the pottage for which the Order of Creation birthright was sold if not profaned? Continue reading
Posted in Families, For Pastors Only, Missouri Megatrends
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Reportage or Fearmongering?
I was going to title this “Fake News and Battle of the Bulge” in homage to St. Merv. Merv was with the 101st Airborne at the Battle of the Bulge in 1944. “Band of Brothers” is his story. We were together on 9/11 watching the news on TV as it came streaming in (a reference to amount not technology). He, a combat veteran of both WWII and Korea, walked away muttering: “Too much information. No one can process this.” Too much information is the norm today with a 24/7 livestream. What human can process it all? What is reportage and what is fearmongering? Which is news and which is fake news? Continue reading
Posted in Big Tech Big Lie or Promise?, Families
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